Insert a text field that can report the length of the path.

The general process for creating such a cable shape is as follows. So let’s see how we might create a simple cable shape that can display its total length. It seems to me that SI users and other technical types might want to detail cable layouts in plan views that they’ve created in Visio. While I am not an expert in the details of what SI and its users are up to, I’ve got just enough engineering sense to be dangerous. The software has a visual component that can run in Visio or AutoCAD, which is where I come in from time to time. They make a product called System Integrator (SI) that helps in the estimation, design and project management of low voltage systems, such as audio-visual systems, home networks, and high-end conferencing systems. I have done work for the fine folks at D-Tools for many years. This article explores just how you can go about it! To start a new stencil with this shape as its first content, click Add To New Stencil.If you use Visio to create scaled plan views that include electrical equipment, you may have a need to rough-out actual, to-scale cable paths–and even get accurate estimates as to how much cabling you’ll need.

Right-click the shape, point to Add To My Shapes, and then click the stencil you want to add it to. But you can copy any shape to a stencil in your My Shapes library of stencils. Shapes aren’t available to download individually – they must be part of a stencil. If you want to make a downloaded stencil part of a template, see Add a stencil to a template. When you save the drawing, stencils you see in the Shapes window stencil list are there the next time you open the drawing. The new stencil joins the list of stencils in the Shapes window. You can then navigate the the folder where you saved your stencils and open it. Click More Shapes > My Shapes > Organize My Shapes.

In the Save As box, enter a name for the file if you want, then save the file to your My Shapes folder, which is located inside your default Documents folder ( My Documents or Documents, depending on your version of Windows).įind your new stencil in Visio through the Shapes window. When you download a stencil, and the notification bar asks if you want to open or save the file, click the arrow next to Save and click Save As. That’s where you can find them when you’re ready to use them in your diagrams. When you find stencils online and download them, Visio stores them in the My Shapes folder.

Visio 2016 electrical stencils